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Saturday, December 29, 2012

Hello everyone out there! Yes once again, I have taken forever to update my blog. I know, I know, its bad form to go a month(s) without writing anything. But a ton has been happening here in Darby land.

Darbalou Craft Fair Booth!

1st...We had our first craft show, which I can proudly proclaim a success!

Lou was fabulous as my assistant. It took place at a Greek community center in Astoria and it was bustling all day. As it was a kids oriented craft fair, most of the other booths were toys or kids clothes, but there were a few more grown-up booths too. It was neat to see how other people set up their tables and wares. I did a lot of research about this, and though I think our booth was a little crowded, it was good for a first time and looked very professional. The best piece of advice I read was that you should bring a box with everything you think you will need plus anything you might not. I almost had the kitchen sink along. Because I was so well supplied, I was able to share some card stock and pretty markers with Dana's Bakery and in turn they gave us a little mixed flavor pack of their amazing macaroons! My favorite was the Fruity Pebbles flavor. And even though we vowed not to spend money, we did end up buying a print from Hans My Hedgehog Illustrations. Beautiful! We also made friends with the vendors acroos the aisle from us, a cute little company called Maggie Boogie. They make sweet toys out of felt and fabric. The owner/creator (Lily) is really talented and I enjoyed talking to her about her creative process.

All in all I loved it. We definitely want to do this again.

2nd...This is a biggie. I am going back to school to become an English teacher!

I know this seems like a 180 but it feels right. I can't tell you how much happier I have been since I made this decision. Of course I know teaching is no cakewalk; I have many friends and family members who are (or have been) teachers and I know how difficult it can be. Especially in the first year. When I was speaking to an advisor he asked me why I wanted to teach and I started giving him an articulate and reasonable response but he stopped me and said "no, why do YOU want to be a teacher?" all I could say was "Because when I think about it, it feels as though I have butterflies in my heart." We are still going to work on Darbalou, and I still want to sew and write on this blog. But I am also going to be taking prerequisite classes and doing a ton of reading and writing. Classes start January 28th and I can't wait! I am such a nerd because I have been obsessed with which kind of planner to use which school bag I will carry. I have even made one using a free Burdastyle pattern! I just love the smell of new school supplies! The plan right now is to take undergraduate English courses to get into the Initial Certification Program in the fall (which eventually leads to a Masters) at Queens College in Flushing. QC is bigger than any school I have attended thus far, and it will be great to be a student again. This is all very exciting for me.

3rd...We are buying our house. This process is difficult but exciting. It takes a lot of energy AND patience to go through all the necessary steps. Especially because I have NO idea what I am doing. So YAY!

4th...We have been traveling a lot. Between Thanksgiving and Christmahas just flown by. But it has been wonderful to see my family in Arizona and Lou's family here in New York. We are so lucky to have all such wonderful and supportive people in our lives.

Well, thats my update. I hope to be doing much more posting before school starts!
Happy Holidays!